Old Vienna-style Goulash

Shank, shin, shoulder or veal is normally used for this dish, which has its roots in Hungary. For this recipe, though, I use steak. The dish is very simple but the end result is amazingly tasteful. Kids will love this one. Plus, it’s pretty low-fat if you use the London broil. I always cut the cubes myself because sometimes the butcher cuts them a tad too big.

Ingredients: 

3 lbs Beef Stew (London Broil is a cheaper alternative plus its leaner) cut in 1-inch cubes
2 lbs onions, finely chopped - yes, two full pounds - about 4-5 large yellow onions
5 tbl sunflower oil or vegetable oil
3 tbl Paprika powder
1 tbl Hungarian Paprika powder – the hot stuff
2-3 cups of low-sodium beef broth
½ tbl cayenne pepper
2 tbl white vinegar
2–3 tbl tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, pressed
½ cup red wine
2tsp ground caraway seed (if you have it in solid form just run it through a coffee grinder)
2 tbl marjoram
Salt and freshly ground pepper

The Prep:

Start out with a large heavy pot or a Dutch oven if you have one, some veggie oil (not olive because it won't get hot enough). Over HIGH heat, to the point of a slight smoke coming from your pot, sear the meat on all sides. Take it out, set aside, reduce the heat to medium and sauté the onions using the meat's juices, usually a light watery foam, until they turn golden and clear. Don't let them all burn...stir. Then add the meat back in, and sauté for another two minutes. Add both paprika powders and immediately add a dash of white vinegar to prevent the paprika from burning and turning bitter and add the beef broth. Stir until well blended.

Add the Tomato paste, Caraway seed, Marjoram, Cayenne pepper, red wine and a dash of Salt. Stir until everything’s smooth, cover the pot but leave a small crack open, and simmer over medium heat for around 1 ½ hrs, best is 2 hrs. The meat should very tender and almost melt in your mouth when tasted.

Stir occasionally and check the tenderness of the meat after an hour. It should be extremely tender, almost to the point of falling apart. If, at that point, the sauce is too thick, add a bit more beef broth, so you will get a nice creamy, aromatic and flavorful (tangy) sauce.

Serve it over a bed of wide egg noodles, rice, boiled or baked potatoes, and potato dumplings or just with some fresh Rye or French bread. A nice mixed salad on the side and a cold beer goes well with it.

Enjoy!